New Audioquest Nightowl / Nighthawk Carbon

Discussion in 'Headphones' started by Yeskey, Nov 1, 2016.

  1. Kattefjaes

    Kattefjaes Mostly Harmless

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    That might be due to the self-selecting nature of the Nighthawk-loving crowd, who are probably the key demographic for this one, too. Similar sorts of people (though not always the same people) as the AGD obsessives. They're very positive.
     
  2. neogeosnk

    neogeosnk Friend

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    Nightowl and Fiio X5 sounded pretty awful to me. The Fiio X5 3rd gen sounds polite and slightly rolled off. The Nightowl has a similar sound signtature but somewhat darker. Combine both and you got a big mutted mess. Nighthawk is even worse (yes even with ultrasuede pads). On a positive note, the Nightowl is definitely an improvement over the NightHawk regular and carbon.
     
  3. Torq

    Torq MOT: Headphone.com

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    That'd be dependent on the filter you had selected ... it's worth playing with the others. I have definite preferences there - and one of which, if it was the only choice, would kill my interest in the player.

    Otherwise, its absolutely what one would expect with a competent AKM 4490 implementation ... in other words if you're a "Velvet Sound" type you'll love it, and if not, well, you won't. How that signatures goes with the various AudioQuest cans, that I cannot say.
     
  4. neogeosnk

    neogeosnk Friend

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    Oh I tried them all. I wanted it to work so I could have a chill portable setup but it's just too mushy even with the most neutral setting. Sounds better out of phone/mojo. Getting a fiio to mojo cable and will test that out, but kills the portability factor.
     
  5. Ice-man

    Ice-man Friend

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    I've grown to enjoy listening to the Nightowl. It's taken a little work though. The first step for me was a good neutral amp, which for me turned out to be the Jot. The Jot brings some clarity to the sound of this otherwise syrupy signature. The Jot tones down the mid bass and let's the mids clear up a bit. Vocals sound much better.

    Next step was some light EQ. Pick your poison here as there is lot's of really good EQ available.

    The last step was a better cable. Forget about sonic upgrades here. I just needed something more functional than that horrid stock cable. WTF were they thinking, really? A four foot, rigid cable for a headphone meant to be used at home, seriously. For a company that is known for making some pretty damn good cables, their headphone cable is an epic fail....EPIC.

    So now I can enjoy the Nightowl. It's still somewhat warm and thick but it's a nice complement to other headphones that I own and of course being closed is a big bonus. It's the only closed hp that I own. There is good potential in this driver for sure and it just needs to be coaxed out.
     
  6. limesoft

    limesoft Friend

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    Nightowls don't isolate well at all, nothing wrong with their sound and better balanced than the Nighthawks - i like how they sound; I'd buy them for 200ish quid.. overpriced
     
  7. Not Grumpy

    Not Grumpy New

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    I'm just now listening to the NightOwl, interesting presentation. It will take some time to get a feel for them. For certain they are going to be a love them or meh type of signature. A surprising amount of detail retrieval. I'm trying to decide where the midrange emphasis is that gives these the signature? Is it lower mids? I also feel that the signature is slightly less integrated sounding,. So much detail and I feel that it may be very laterally presented and lack a little depth to the presentation. Still, I can't say that I'm not enjoying them. At times they sound brilliant when the tuning choices align with the mastering of the music. Jury is out for me, but I do know that they aren't at all unpleasant. I'm hoping to have an Aeon here soon to compare with. Wow, these really do some interesting detailing. If only the front to back layering was better.
     
  8. Jackork

    Jackork Acquaintance

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    Could you compare them to some other headphones?
     
  9. Not Grumpy

    Not Grumpy New

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    I haven't had quite enough time yet, plus audio memory is unreliable and while I have owned a lot of headphones: LCD2F, TH900/TH600, HE560/HE400i, PM3, Z1R, HD800S, D7000 etc I don't have many on hand now. The only headphones I have on hand are an M40X, Onkyo H900M, PSB M4U1, Focal Listen and an Onkyo H500BT.

    What specifically are you most curious about/concerned with where the NightOwl is concerned?
     
  10. Not Grumpy

    Not Grumpy New

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    I have to say I don't find them overly dark, actually more treble than I was expecting based on what I had read. I do at times sense the slight veiling of detail when the vocals are say background or mixed to sound distant. Oddly, when I listen to female vocals that are prominent in the mix such as Holly Cole the vocal detail is rather clear. I can certainly see how some people would really like this headphone, but conversely, I can also see how some might be less enamored.
     
  11. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    @Not Grumpy Please also share with us the complete chain that you're using: DAC, amp, etc.
     
  12. Jackork

    Jackork Acquaintance

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    I just think it's one of better ways to evaluate headphones, to compare them with other well known ones.
    NightOwl right now have pretty tough competition (D7200, Atticus, Eikon) so I wonder If they can keep up.
     
  13. Not Grumpy

    Not Grumpy New

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    Well, as I said audio memory is very imprecise so if I don't have something on hand to compare directly it really isn't worth it in my opinion. Yes the competition is stiff, but the price on the NightOwl is quite a bit less than the other models you mentioned. Plus, the weight of the ZMF offerings is considerable so for some that may be a factor. I owned a ZMF Vibro before, liked it well enough, but it was somewhat underwhelming. I do know that the new ZMF headphones are custom dynamic drivers.

    It will as it always does, come down to preferences. I sometimes like to have unique voicings even if they technically have design compromises. Ultimately if I can enjoy where the headphone deviates from neutral that is fine. Right now all I can say is that the NightOwl deserves more headtime and that currently I have more positive impressions than negative.
     
  14. landroni

    landroni Friend

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    Sounds a lot like a long Z1R discussion we've been having for the past week or so... Along the lines of "everything is awesome".

    See @Tyll Hertsens's editorial to get an idea of how many on SBAF perceive things like unique voicings and their universality in terms of appeal:
    https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/response-cacophony-tyll-stance-reviewing
     
  15. Not Grumpy

    Not Grumpy New

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    I know, don't worry, I have seen that thread. I am not saying unique voicings are at all universally appealing, quite unlikely that they would be. I am saying that in this big wide world where people differ substantially, there are room for all kinds of signatures. I actually so far am enjoying the NightOwl, but who knows what will happen two weeks down the road. I have been in this rodeo long enough to know that sometimes the early blush of infatuation cools quickly from fatigue. We shall see.
     
  16. Not Grumpy

    Not Grumpy New

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    For my rig I use a speaker tap cable from a NAD M3 to a NAD M51 DAC with a Norne Audio Solv X cable. All material is lossless through JRiver WASAPI. Sometimes I use my Mojo for an amp/DAC.
     
  17. Not Grumpy

    Not Grumpy New

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    I am still undecided about the NightOwl. For sure there are things not that great, vocals can have that raspy, filter over them sound, but not universally so as far as I can tell. I don't find the bass to have much impact, or to extend very deep, more of a mid-bass thing going on. The sound stage is very lateral with very little depth, and some height and a strong center image.

    Surprisingly I don't find the treble quite as rolled off, but going by memory here, similar to the Oppo PM3 in that respect. Certainly lacking some air. I also find the signature not quite as cohesive or integrated with the little sonic details a little more prominent than perhaps they should be. Clarity also suffers with that veiling that seems to show up in the vocals. I have a feeling that the ribbed housing component is responsible for the somewhat odd dispersion characteristics I believe I am hearing.

    Sounds like it should be a terrible headphone right? Well I have to say that it is still surprisingly a rather interesting and at times very engaging headphone. There have been points where I think it pulls something off brilliantly, and then other times where it just falls short of the performance one would hope a headphone at this price point should obtain. Still, it is rather enjoyable to listen to and I can't say whether or not I want to keep it or move it yet so I will give it more time. It is definitely not going to be for everybody, but without a doubt some will really like it, maybe even love it. I would be interested to hear more from others around here about their thoughts on this headphone.
     
  18. Poleepkwa

    Poleepkwa Friend

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  19. Kazekeil

    Kazekeil New

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    Curious if anyone can get a quick measurement of the Nighthawk with one of the 4 click in "posts" on the earpads undone. In my short listening this massively vents the bass and brings much more focus to the mids. I'm curious how this configuration measures.
     
  20. Luckbad

    Luckbad Traded in a unicorn for a Corolla

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    Sounds like you are already using your ears. I don't think anyone who does measurements still has a pair of them, but venting the pads will certainly reduce bass, which is likely to make the mids seem more prominent in comparison.
     

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